Construction of counter tops, desk tops, and similar pieces of furniture often entails the use of panels having a top surface and exposed edges. The exposed edges of such panels are often unsightly and susceptible to damage, and require the use of decorative moldings to protect and beautify the exposed edge. Effective bonding of the moldings to the panel exposed edge, however, is difficult.
The construction of counter tops, table tops, desk tops, and other similar pieces of furniture using sheets of hard plastic laminate presents particular problems in protecting and beautifying exposed panel edges. In general, construction of furniture from plastic laminate entails the bonding of thin sheets of plastic laminate to support decking. The support decking is preferably a relatively inexpensive, yet sturdy, particle board or the like. While the combination of hard plastic laminate with support decking provides a sturdy, wear-resistant, and waterproof top surface, the exposed sidewalls of the combination present a particularly unsightly and damage susceptible cross section.
Various methods for providing a suitable edge to furniture surfaces constructed from plastic laminate bonded to support decking have been proposed For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,717,187 entitled LAMINATED TABLE TOP WITH EDGING, U.S. Pat. No. 3,077,012 entitled COUNTER TOP CONSTRUCTION AND THE LIKE, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,508 entitled COUNTER TOP describe different ways for forming the edge of a laminated table or counter top. The extensive use of plastic laminate bonded to support decking in furniture construction, however, has justified a continuing effort on the part of the furniture industry to find more efficient, less expensive methods and materials for forming more durable and better looking edgings for counter tops, table tops, and the like.